Vehicles
Vehicles Area Car These are saloons like the BMW 5 series or large hatchbacks like the Vauxhall Vectra. They also appear to be mostly manual transmission. Often can be heard screetching to a start when chasing anyone, or in a hurry in general. The call sign for the Area Car is Serria One.The Area Car is a Police Stations fast response car. It handles urgent 999 calls and car chases as well as providing assistance to other officers. Currently only Tony Stamp is qualified to drive the area car (in NZ). The current area car is the Vauxhall Vectra (Vauxhall is Holden in Australasia). Past area cars were the Ford Mondeo and the Ford Sierra. The Sierra was first seen on The Bill in the early '90s, the Mondeo: 1996 and the Vectra: 1997. IRV IRV stand for Imediate Response Vehicle which is dispatched by CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) when the area car is dealing with a crime or is not near enough to deal with the reported crime. Panda The phrase panda car refers to a small or medium-sized police car operated by British police forces. They are used for ordinary patrol work, with larger and more powerful vehicles being used for emergency response, traffic patrol and special services. Van A police van is used for detaining alot of suspects instead of trying to fit them all into a car and make a series of trips back and fouth to the station. Equipment Batons & ASPs The ASP telescopic steel baton used by both uniform and CID. Compact but strong, it is used for self defense and for controlling offenders. The ASP acts as a shock device when an offender is struck. Replaced the acrylic and wooden batons in the mid-1990s. CS Spray Introduced into service only a few years ago, CS is a non-lethal spray which incapacitates offenders. Normally sprayed onto the face and causes major discomfort to the eyes. Cuffs Quick-cuffs are used for restraining uncooperative offenders. Handcuffs with solid metal connector instead of a chain. The cuffs can be put on quicker during an arrest, making it slightly more difficult to resist being cuffed. With the use of quick-cuffs, offenders easier to control in that the more a suspect struggles, the more discomfort is felt. Vests & Jackets The heavy blue flak jacket or bullet-proof vest provides limited protection to the wearer in situations where firearms are involved. Most familiarly worn by officers from the force firearms unit, CO19. Police markings on the front and back of the flak jacket ensure the wearer is identified as a police officer. Velcro-strips keep the garment on the wearer. The Metvest is a stab-proof and ballistic-proof vest. It is normally worn under officers' clothing to provide protection against serious injury. The fluroscent yellow-green luminous jacket or glow-vest is permanently worn by traffic officers. It is worn by divisional officers for traffic duty, at scenes of traffic accidents, at night, during public events and during searches. Fluroscent yellow-green has been specifically chosen because of its high visibility to the human eye. Radios The Personal Radio or PR is a two-way radio used for police communication. The panic button can be activated when an officer requires urgent assistance. Radio banter can be heard at all times. The PR clips onto shirts, jumpers, tunics, belts or wherever the officer chooses. The Met's radio sets are made by telecommunications giant Motorola. Other equipment Pocket Book An officer's pocket book is used for recording incidents on scene, when witnesses give their version of events or just for situtation reports. The pocket book can be referred to when an officer gives evidence in court. Torch Sometimes forgotten as an important piece of equipment, the torch provides an officer with light in dark places. It is especially handy during searches and during the night shift. Kits The Personal Protection Kit or PPK consists of rubber gloves, resuscitation mask and a sterile wipe. It is used in situations involving injured persons when police are the first on scene. Warrant Card A warrant card is a proof of identification and authority carried by police officers. The term is normally used only in the United Kingdom this gives the officer the right to exercise his/her powers of arrest. An Inspector or above does not have to carry a warrant card.